Braiding machine



April 19, 1932-. F. BILLARD 1,354,685

BRAIDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 19, 1932. F BlLL D 1,854,685

BRAIDING' MACHINE Filed Nov. :50, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 19, 1932. BlLLARD 1,854,685

I 'BRAIDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30, 19.29 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Tig h v April 19, 1932. i= BlLLARD 1,854,685

BRAIDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 50, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I Fig.5 Fig.6

// IIIIIII/III/ April 19, 1932. I B|| ARD 1,854,685

' BRAIDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 19, 1932 PATENT OFFICE FE LIX BILLARD, F LYON, FRANCE BRAILDING MACHINE Application filed November 30, 1929, Serial No. 410,771, and in France October 12, 1929. i

This invention relates to braiding machines, and has generally in view to provide a machine of this character which is of relatively simple, compact construction, which is thoroughly reliable and eflicient in operation, and which is of exceptionally high production capacity.

A special object of the invention is to provide a braiding machine which permits the use of bobbins or cops of yarn or the like in their condition as they are received from the spinners, thereby to avoid any necessity of unwinding the yarn from said cops or bobbins and rewinding it onto lacer cops or bobbins of the braiding machine as has been the- 7 general practice heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a braiding machine which-permits the useof an exceptionally large number of lacers and an equally large number of yarns, whereby, apart from the saving in time I gained by the provision of means to, avoid any necessity of unwinding the yarns from the spinner bobbins onto the lacer bobbins,

materially increased speed in production is obtained as compared with prior types of braiding machines whereinthe number of lac-' ers and lacer-bobbins which may be used is relatively limited.

80 With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become-more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of features as will l5 be. hereinafter more fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the L0 different views:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the improved machine, Fig. 2 is a top plan view,

Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the conveying 5 device for the finished braid,

chine, these Fig. 4 is an elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the top part of the braiding machine showing how the frames carrying the rollers or bobbins are arranged.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a front view and a side view of a complete lacer with its frame and its automatic device for regulating the tension of the thread.

Fig. is a view partly, in elevation and partly in section of one of the four fixed V61 tica'l tubular supports comprised in the masupport-s being each provided with a revolving sleeve which is integral witha gear wheel and a notched. disc.

Fig. 8 is a View, partly in elevation and partly in section of the fixed vertical tubular support arranged at the centre of the machine.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the notched discs which engage the lacers; and Figs. 10 to 12 are detail views showing clearly how the bobbins or cops as they come from the spinners are mounted on the lacer frames.

As is usual with most machines of this type the braiding machine which formsthe subject of the present invention-consists of a frame 1 with uprights 2 which support the tables carrying the driving or engaging mechanism for the lacers. This mechan1sm,.which taken by itself is similar tothose already known, is in this particular case, driven by means of a step pulley 3 mounted ona shaft 4 arranged to be connected by means of a clutch 5 to a shaft '6, which by means of suitable gears 7', a shaft 7, gear Wheels 8, 8, drives a shaft 9 carrying a drum 10 and a toothed wheel 11 which latter meshes with a gear wheel 12 on a shaft 13 to which is fixed a drum 14 similar to the drum 10, these tWo drums together with a press-roller 15 serving to draw the finished braid.

.By means of a shaft 16, the driving movement is transmitted to a pinion 17 meshing with one of four toothed wheels 18 of which two areshown on Figs. 1 and 4. Each of the four wheels 18 is-fixed by a key 19 (see Fig. 7) to a sleeve 20 at the base of which there is also keyed at 21 a disc 22 having notches 23 for the engagement of the lacers. Each sleeve 20 is mounted in such a manner, that it is able to revolve on a vertical tubular support 24 which by means of the nuts 25 is maintained in a vertical position in regard to two horizontal tables 26, 27 which are fixed to the uprights 2.

Near its base each tubular support 24 comprises a squared part 28 forming a seating for a plate 30 which is locked thereon between two nuts 29 in such a manner that said plate cannot be rotated on the squared part 28.

The plate 30 constitutes in fact for each support 20 a part of a table designated by 31 for the external part connected to the uprights 2 (Figs. 1 and 9), but a space 33 is reserved between the four parts 30 and the part 31, as well as another member 32 which is arranged in the centre, and of which more will be said hereinafter, this space 33 constituting an endless guide-way along which the lacers travel.

A vertical tube 34 (Fig. 8) is rigidly maintained in the central vertical axis of the braiding machine, by connection with the tables 26, 27 by means of locknuts 29, and the plate 32 is secured upon a squared part 35 at the lower end of this tube and held between nuts 36.

Each lacer consists essentially (see Figs. 5 and 6) of a tube 37 to which a frame 38, is rigidly fixed, which is arranged to carry a certain number ofbobbins 39 just as they come from the spinners. On the tube 37 a slipper 40 is fixed, which is located between two shoulders 41, 42. There are also fixed on the tube 37, a support 43 and a strap 44.

On the support 43 slides a weight 45 which is provided with a roller 46 serving to regulate to the tension of the threads or am. A roller 47 is mounted on the support 43. The strap 44 carries a drum 48 having striated ribs and on one side a ratchet gear 49 with which engages a pawl 50 influenced by a spring 51 and arranged to be tripped by a. small lever 52 which is actuated by a finger 53 on the weight 45.

The yarn threads coming from the bobbins 39 pass together through the tube 37 and then around the drum 48, through an aperture 54 in the support 43 and then over the rollers 46 and 47 and finally through a second aperture 55 in the support above mentioned.

Each lacer is mounted on the machine in such a manner that its slipper 40 lies within the guide-way 33 in the table 3031-32,

the shoulders 41 and 42 being situated above and below this table respectively. Finally, according to the'n'umber of lacers working on the machine, these latter are arranged in relation to one another, in a suitable manner, well known by men skilled in the art and as illustrated for example in Fig.9 of the drawings.

At suitable points on the machine for instance on the table 31, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, there are mounted supports 56 carrying rods '57 on to which are slid the yarn bobbins 58 as they come from the spinners. The threads coming from these bobbins 58 are intended for the purpose of producing square braids. The number of bobbins or cops 58 which each support 56 carries varies according to the type of braiding it is desired to efi'ect and also according to the number of lacers which the machine comprises, but these supports 56 may be made of great dimensions, to enable a larger number of bobbins to be carried thereon, which willallow more varied kinds of braids to be produced.

The threads from these bobbins or cops are passed over rollers 59 and downwardly through the tubes 24 and through eyes 60 in guiding devices 61 (Figs. 1 and 4) which are tixcd beneath the table 31.

Finally these threads pass, as is the case With all other threads coming from the lacers, into the funnel 62 wherein the interlacing or braiding proper actually takes place, the braided band or cord 63 then emerging through the opening 64 to be rolled up on the drums 10 and 14.

In Fig. 1 the different members which form part of the lacers and are mounted below the table 31 (that is to say the members regulating the tension of the threads) are not shown in detail, only their general outline being given, because the drawings would have become Very complicated had they been fully shown. Moreover these different parts can be quite clearly seen in Figs. 5 and 6.

It is also possible if desired, to pass a thread or threads or a core through the tubular central support 34, which threads may be of any suitable substance and come off several bobbins or reels arranged at any suitable points on or near the machine, these threads forming a core for the braided cord or sleeve 63. It is thus possible to produce a superimposed layer of braid if the core itself is already braided.

The general operation of the machine will be comprehensible to any braiding expert, but it may be indicated here as follows, viz

The machine comprising, in the case under consideration, eight lacers arranged in two groups of four, each, as soon as it is started by means of the coupling 5, the gear wheels 18, the sleeves 20 and the discs 22 are caused to revolve together on their respective supports 24, the necessary lubrication between the sleeves 20 and the supports 24 being insured by means of helical grooves 65 and an oil inlet orifice 66 (Fig. 7).

The discs 22 engage by means of their notches 23, the lacers, the slippers of which for each group of four lacers follow the corresponding circular path 33; and thus the braiding is produced in the usual well known manner.

The winding off of the threads from the bobbins 39 is controlled and regulated by means of the weights and the drums 48 (Figs. 5 and 6). In considering the position of the parts shown in Fig. 5, it-must be borne in mind that the thread must be drawn slightly beyond the eye 55, so that the weights 45 may rise and act by means of its finger 53 and the lever 52 on the pawl 50 which is thus disengaged from the ratchet wheel 49.

The weight .5 then descends and in so doing draws a certain length of thread from the bobbins or cops 39, but at the same moment the spring 51 causes the pawl 50 again to engage with the ratchet wheel 49, thus stopping and retaining the drum 48 which was previously free to rotate, and thus also limiting the descent of the weight 45.

When the cops 39 are empty, they can be replaced ina very simple manner, see Figs. 10 to 12, which show-that the sleeve 67 of each bobbin is mounted during the Working of the machine on an axle 68 having squared ends 69 which are engaged in the square notches 70, in the frames 38. The connection between this axle 68and the sleeve 67 is effected by means of friction springs 71 of which one extremity is fixed to the axle 68, whilst the other or free end presses against the internal wall of the sleeve 67.

It is therefore quite suflicientto draw the empty sleeve together with the axle 68 out of the notches 70, then to separate the sleeve from the said axle 68 by sliding it longitudinally and finally to proceed in the reverse manner for placing a full bobbin fitted with its sleeve of cardboard or wood into place.

The springs 71 ensure a uniform winding off of the thread, the sleeve revolving slowly on the said springs while the axle 68 remains stationary.

One must however remember that, owing to the characteristic features of the invention, not only the time required for refitting the machine with yarn is very much reduced, but also that the amount of thread or yarn which can be accommodated on the machine is very great because the large bobbins or cops comingfrom' the spinners contain a much, larger weight of thread than the bobbins ordinarily used in present day braiding machines, and it is of course obvious that it is no longer necessary to wind the yarn from the vcops on to the lacer-bobbins as these spinner cops are useddirectly on this new machine.

It is due to the combination of these characteristic and essential features which .have

been described above, that the industrial'ef ficiency of the improved machine isincrease'd to a very great extent, and in proportion to the number of lacers used, and according to the materials used. The comparison of this them off or to add to them, an operation whichis quite impossible with the present braiding machines.

What I claim is:

1. In a braiding machine, a plurality of lacers each comprising a tube, a vertically elongated frame carried thereby, means for mounting a plurality ofcops of yarn in said frame, the plural yarns of which are adapted to be passed downward through said tube, and means for imparting relative movements to said lacers to produce braiding of the yarns of each lacer with the yarns of the other lacers.

2. In a braiding machine, a plurality of lacers each comprising a tube, a vertically elongated rectangular frame carried there by, means for mounting a plurality of cops of yarn in verticallyspaced relation and on horizontal axes within said frame, the yarns of the respective cops being adapted to be passed downward through said tube, and means for imparting relative movements to said lacers to produce braiding of the yarns of each lacer with the yarns of another lacer.

3. In a braiding machine, a plurality of lacers each comprising a tube, a slipper, a support for a yarn-cop the yarn of which is adapted to be extended downward through the tube, a ratchet drum below the slipper around which the yarn is to be extended, a support having a yarn guide, a pawl cooperating with the ratchet of said drum to hold the latter normally against rotation, a weight slidable on said support and provided with a yarn guide whereby tensioning of the yarn raises'the weight, means whereby predetermined raising of the weight releases the pawl, and means for imparting relative movements to the lacers to produce braiding ofv the yarns.

4. In a braiding machine, means providing a lacer guide slot, plurality of lacers each comprising a tube and a support for a .yarn cop the yarn of which is adapted to be extended downwardly through the tube, a slipper carried by each lacer for cooperation with said guide slot, and means for moving the lacers along said guide slot to produce braiding of the yarns: thereof, said last named means comprising a (flurality of devices each inclusive of a fixe shaft having a bore for the passage of a yarn to be braided with the yarns of the lacers, a sleeve rotatable on each shaft, and a disk carried by each sleeve and provided with slots for cooperation with the tubes of the lacers Whereby rotation of the sleeves imparts movements to the lacers along the guide slot, and means for rotating said sleeves.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

FELIX BILLARD. 

